Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have sued the social media giant for allowing the spread of hate speech against them.
They are seeking more than $ 150 billion in compensation, claiming that the Facebook platform has promoted violence against the persecuted minority. The company is accused of allowing “the spread of dangerous misinformation to continue for years”.
A British law firm representing some of the refugees has written a letter to Facebook claiming that Facebook algorithms have reinforced hate speech against the Rohingya people. The company failed to remove posts or delete accounts that incite violence against them.
Facebook failed to take proper and timely action, despite warnings from charities and the media. This platform has more than 20 million users in Myanmar. Moreover, social media site is their main and probably the only way to receive and share news.
Mark Zuckerberg has admitted mistakes in handling this issue and that is exactly what makes this lawsuit complex as Facebook admits it could have done more.